Bear Season Extended Four Days - Segment B Resumes December 12

December 9, 2018

The December segment of the black bear hunting season will be extended by four days to achieve management and bear population objectives. The next phase of Segment B of the season (Segment A was October 8-13) will begin a half-hour prior to sunrise on Wednesday, December 12 and will continue until a half-hour after sunset on Saturday, December 15.

New Jersey's Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, which has been integrated into the Game Code, mandates that the Division of Fish and Wildlife extend the bear hunting season by four days should the harvest rate not achieve a 20 percent threshold. That harvest rate is deemed necessary to provide better ecological balance to the bear population and reduce the potential for bear-human encounters. The harvest rate for the season stands at 13.3%.

The total number of bears harvested in October was 140. The preliminary total for the number of bears harvested in December to date is 69 for a season total of 209.

Hunters must register their bears at the nearest check stations between noon and 7:00 p.m. Check stations include those at the Whittingham, Greenpond, and Pequest Wildlife Management Areas.